The tow hooks on my truck are from a late model Chebby. I picked them up at
a garage sale for 15 Dollars American. The two hooks and two chunks of
steel are all the materials needed for the tow hook install. If you have a
welder, great. I didn't and had to hire it out, $50. I'd highly recommend
taking the bumper off to weld the steel plates onto the frame. More room to
maneuver and less chance of cooking something you don't want cooked. The
bumper comes off really easily, 4 bolts per side: 2 on the outside of the
frame under the bumper and 2 on each side accessible from the top of the
bumper near the radiator. Make sure you disconnect any lights you may have
so the bumper comes off cleanly.
You need to size the pieces of steel to your liking, 4"x5" seems about
right, but measure just to be sure. Drill the holes in the steel to match
the hole pattern on your tow hooks, make sure they're straight. Weld the
steel onto the bottom of the frame so that the leading edge of the steel is
about even with the front of the frame. Once you get the steel welded, let
it cool and paint the bare metal with some rustoleum or something. The
hooks bolt up nicely in the little "wedge" cutout of the bottom of the frame
which the steel is welded to. See the pictures at
http://lonestar.texas.net/~bernd/jason.htm and it will all make sense.
Thanks again to Dr. Ratsch for posting those pictures for me.
Now comes the fun part, cutting the holes for the hooks in the air dam.
Start by trying to put the bumper back on...you'll notice it won't because
of the hooks. Make sure you have the bumper all lined up and mark the spot
where the hooks hit the dam. Using a sabersaw with a good, sharp blade, cut
some small pilot holes about the shape and size of the hooks in the dam.
START SMALL and work your way up. Be creative in making measurements,
there's no easy way to match the holes up so they look the same on both
sides. Keep cutting until you have holes large enough to accommodate the
hooks and still get a tow strap over them. Once you've got the holes the
size you want them, clean up the edges with some 200 grit sandpaper.
As for the grill, it's made out of some expanded aluminum I found a local
metal shop. It was the only piece they had (2x5') so they just gave it to
me. This stuff is hard to find so look around. There's lots of expanded
steel out there, but the rust factor is high. Even if you paint it, rocks,
etc. will eventually chip the paint job and allow water to get to the metal.
You'll need a bag of small, black zip ties, a dremel tool with cutoff
wheel, a drill w/a 1/8" bit, some wire cutters and some patience. First
remove the grill. Then start cutting out the black plastic portions of the
grill you can see from the front of the truck with the dremel. DON'T take
the whole factory insert out, it's melted in and REALLY hard to put back
once you've taken it out. Once you've done that, you should have a nice,
clean oval with 4 cutouts where the expanded metal will go. Cut your metal
into pieces to fit the 4 holes. Remember to leave enough excess around the
edges for zip ties and enough so that those zip ties won't show from the
front. This takes a while and lots of cutting. Once you've sized the 4
inserts, start marking where you will drill your holes in the BLACK plastic.
Don't drill through the chrome/painted part of the grill. Drill all your
holes first, then loosely zip tie the metal insert in. Tighten carefully to
center the insert. Repeat 3 more times. This is time consuming, but well
worth it IMHO. (GASP!!!)
E'mail me if you have any questions.
Jason Nahrgang
Moss Green '97 V8 4x4 SLT+ 5spd
Custom tow hooks
3" Gibson
K&N homegrown
Bilsteins up front
32x11.50 Pirelli Scorpion ATs
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